Chiaroscuro
by turbo denali
Summary: Three years away from Republic City and more than two years on the road have left their mark on Korra. Asami questions just how much she's changed and arrives at an important conclusion. Spoilers for Book 3 and whatever can be gleaned from the Book 4 trailer. [Technical issues have been resolved!]


**DISCLAIMER: Korra and the rest of the Avatar franchise are not mine. 'Nuff said.**

**WARNING: This fic depicts a relationship between two women. If that's something you can't quite handle, then I suggest you find something else to read.**

**SPOILER CHECK: This fic takes place after Book 3 and is set sometime during Book 4. Since Book 4 doesn't air until tomorrow, I'm going to be making up a whole ton of stuff. So please keep all that in mind if you read this after the new [last] season premiers.**

**/**

Asami sighed and tried to focus on the shadowy line of mountains on the horizon. The view should have been calming, but it only succeeded in making the airship feel unusually confining. She struggled to order the thoughts racing through her mind like a an uncontrollable jackalope. The past two days had been a literal whirlwind of events that rattled even the cool, composed Asami Sato. Preparations for a simple business trip to Omashu had somehow turned into a scramble to save the insufferable Prince Wu and escape Kuvira's coup. The captain and a handful of metal benders used the event as an opportunity to capture several heads of state, including President Raiko and the Fire Lord. Kuvira - General Kuvira, as she was now calling herself - quickly took control of the city. Asami had barely escaped with Prince Wu, Mako, and several others in tow. In fact, their airship probably wouldn't have gotten far at all if it hadn't been for Korra.

Asami's grip on the handrail tightened. Two days. Two days, eight hundred miles, and five meals ago. They were halfway towards their rendezvous point with Iroh and Korra had somehow managed to spend as little time with the group as possible. Even after setting down the airship to perform some basic maintenance, no one had seen or heard any sign of the Avatar. Frustration welled up inside the engineer. She yanked the goggles from around her neck and flung them across the control room. They landed with a clatter that rang sharply, breaking the silence that permeated the room.

"Well, that's not very ladylike."

Asami rolled her eyes, then scolded herself. "Sorry, Mako," she said without turning around.

The fire bender strolled up to her and leaned against the handrail, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks." Asami plucked at a loose thread on her sleeve. Practicality overrode fashion and she had changed into a pair of coveralls before heading down to the engine room. They were a spare set borrowed from one of the crew members, and it wasn't exactly a close fit. She'd had to roll up the sleeves, tuck the legs into her boots, and cinch a belt around her waist just to make them wearable. Despite the ill-fit, however, the utilitarian outfit somehow made her feel more in control. She gave herself a mental shake and conjured an image of her to-do list.

Asami glanced at Mako from the corner of her eye. "Any word from Bolin?"

Mako shrugged, feigning a calmness he didn't quite feel. "Just a short radio message from Tenzin saying that he thinks Bolin got away from the city. Bolin managed to send word to Opal. Said something about trying to meet up with her at the Western Air Temple."

She nodded and decided to change the subject. "Are Kai and Jinora back with supplies?"

"No, but they should be soon. Jinora promised they'd be back before it got dark."

Asami nodded and imagined striking another item off her list. "Where's Wu?" she asked.

Mako grinned at that. "Lin volunteered to keep an eye on him for a bit. Wu seemed… quiet when I left."

Asami let out a soft laugh. "I would pay to be a fly on the wall right now."

"Me, too," he said with a chuckle.

Their laughter eventually trailed off and silence settled over the room once more. Asami's eyes drifted back toward the wide valley ahead of them. Afternoon sunlight washed the soft foothills and trees with warm, muted colors that contrasted with the feel of the cold hard metal in the control room. The air suddenly seemed thick and stifling. Asami's shoulders tensed. She pretended not to notice Mako's concerned gaze and instead pushed away from the handrail.

"Sorry, but I think I need to take a walk. I'll be back before dinner," she said, cutting off any protest Mako might have about her walking off alone. She all but ran out of the room, through the hall, and down the stairs that led to the loading bay. Within moments, she was standing outside.

Asami wasn't sure where she was headed. She only knew that she needed a quiet place to think. She did not wander far. A small outcropping of dark granite jutted out from the tree-covered hillside, providing what Asami imagined must be a great view of the valley. She noisily stepped through the underbrush and rounded a wide boulder. Suddenly, her feet obeyed some unthought command and refused to carry her any further. Someone had already beaten her to this spot.

A pair of blue eyes slowly turned and Asami found herself both shocked and a little frightened by the hardness she saw there. These weren't the open, welcoming eyes she remembered. These eyes were wary, calculating, and… cold. It lasted only a moment, but a moment was long enough. The disconcerting stare quickly softened and Asami let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Hi," she said weakly.

Korra averted her gaze, clearly embarrassed to have been caught deep in her own thoughts. "Hey."

Asami shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She felt unusually awkward. After what could have only been a few heartbeats, she cleared her throat and stuck a thumb over her shoulder. "Sorry to have disturbed you. I'm just going to go… somewhere else."

"No! Stay. Please."

The barely concealed desperation in those words struck Asami with an unanticipated force. She let her gaze wander over woman who sat cross-legged only a couple of feet away. Her short hair was the most noticeable difference, but Asami noted that the real change was more subtle. Korra had always been strong and uncommonly muscular for a woman, but she also had a certain softness near her hips and face. Now she was leaner, though not quite wiry - almost as if she never went hungry, but also never had food to spare. Her hands had a rough quality that came not from training in a dojo, but from having to work in order to survive. Her customary Water Tribe clothing was replaced by a sleeveless, threadbare tunic and cropped pants more commonly seen in rural corners of the Earth Kingdom. She might have passed for a farmer's daughter. It dawned on Asami that for all she knew, that might've been exactly what she'd done.

Korra appeared to interpret Asami's silence for indecision. "Stay," she repeated. "I… I haven't had anyone to talk to in a long time." She paused and looked thoughtful. "I suppose I had Toph, but that was… different. It's not the same as talking to you."

Asami's cheeks warmed unexpectedly. She nodded and wordlessly joined Korra on the ground. Her new position somehow transformed the valley into a view quite different from what she had seen in the airship. From her spot on the outcropping, she could see that the valley sprawling out below her. The shadowy lines of the mountains on the horizon became hazy purple and gray waves that rolled along the ground. Long shadows stretched out and gradually overcame the fading afternoon sunlight. An evening mist clung to the edges of clearings, as waiting for permission to sweep out across the valley floor. Even though she couldn't see them, she knew the forest was filled with nightlife that was about to wake up and come out of hiding. Asami felt like she was looking at the earth as it had been before mankind began building walls and digging irrigation ditches. It seemed almost sacrilegious to break the magic surrounding her, and so she said nothing.

The two women sat in companionable silence for a while and watched the sun begin its slow decent behind the mountains that bordered the western edge of the valley. A soft "oh" escaped Asami when a small, cat-like spirit slipped out from behind a tree. It seemed to recognize something in Korra and it happily approached her. She smiled softly and scratched the spot just under its chin. Her smile grew wider when it started purring.

"Hello to you, too," she said. Korra and the spirit perked up when something hiding in the trees chirped and shook a couple of branches. She gave the spirit a little nudge toward the trees. "Looks like someone's calling you, little guy."

The spirit chirped at Korra and ran off into the forest. Asami watched with interest. Spirits were a common sight in Republic City, but there was something different about the way the spirit and Korra interacted with one another. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was, but it was there.

After a moment, Korra turned to Asami and addressed her for the first time since she sat down. "I missed you."

Asami was stunned. She wasn't sure what she had expected to hear, but it wasn't that. "You missed me?" she asked. A cynical laugh rose in her throat and Asami realized she wasn't just frustrated. She was angry. Far angrier than she had realized. "You missed me? While you were what? Off wandering the world?"

"Asami, I-"

"You promised, Korra!" Asami blurted.

Korra flinched. "I'm sorry."

"You _promised_," Asami said, ignoring the other woman's apology. "The night before you left, you made a promise to me. You said that you would come back to Republic City as soon as possible. And instead, you disappeared. We heard nothing from you." The tears she was holding back broke free and spilled down her cheeks. "We heard nothing but rumors for two and a half years, Korra!"

"I know," Korra rasped. She stared at her feet. "I'm sorry. I had to…"

"Why didn't you say anything? You could've told me - us - what you were going to do."

"I couldn't. I didn't know what to say, or what I could say."

Asami huffed at that. She angrily wiped at her eyes and rose to her feet. Korra quickly followed. Asami only made it a few steps before Korra grasped her loose sleeve. The engineer prepared a biting remark and whirled on her, coming face-to-face with those hard eyes she encountered earlier.

"Asami, you have to believe me. I can explain everything. Just not right now," she said calmly.

In that moment, Asami wasn't sure if she was looking at the Korra that had been her friend, or the Korra that was the Avatar. She realized that she couldn't read the other woman as easily as she used to. Too much had changed in the three years since she left for the South Pole. Asami shook her head and glared defiantly at Korra and lifted her chin. "I don't know what to believe these days. A lot has changed, Korra," she said.

Lines of sadness softened Korra's face. "I know. But there are a few things that haven't changed. And one of them is… I missed you, Asami. I'm sorry about this - about everything. But I've missed you so much. You have to know that."

Green eyes locked onto blue and dug deep. A familiar feeling wrapped itself around Asami's chest and squeezed. Thoughts she hadn't allowed herself to entertain swam freely through her mind for the first time in nearly three years. "I know," she whispered. Asami swallowed and watched relief wash over Korra.

Korra looked satisfied by the answer and finally let go of Asami's sleeve. "Good. I guess I'll see you back at the airship."

Instead of leaving, Asami hugged herself and looked at the ground. "I missed you, too. More than you know. Maybe more than I should have."

There was no response and Asami thought that perhaps she had said too much. This was not the same naive Korra she once knew, after all. Asami thought she saw surprise flicker across Korra's face, followed quickly by hope. Rough hands cupped her face. Before her mind could register what was happening, Korra's mouth slanted over her own. The hungry, almost desperate kiss caught her off guard. Asami had imagined this moment many times before, but her daydreams had always involved shy lips and soft innocence. She hadn't thought that Korra would feel so experienced, or that she would taste so… good.

Asami gasped and the noise seemed to startle Korra. The younger woman pulled back and blushed, and Asami realized that the old Korra was still there. She was just hidden under a hardened, worldly exterior. Asami buried her hands in Korra's hair and pulled her back in for another kiss. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and held her close.

Eventually, the kiss ended and Asami buried her face in Korra's neck. "I'm not going to pretend to understand why you can't tell me what's going on, but I'll do my best to not question it for now." She placed a light kiss on the swarthy skin at Korra's collar bone. "And when this is all over, you'd better explain everything." Asami felt more than saw Korra nod in concession.

"Everything," Korra said. "I swear it."

"Or else."

"Or else."

"Okay," murmured Asami.

Korra held her tightly and Asami let herself fall into her strong body. Asami barely heard the footsteps and rustle of leaves before their solitude was interrupted.

"Korra? Asami?"

Asami lifted her head and saw Jinora and Kai near the boulders at the edge of the outcropping. The latter appeared stunned by his own inability to think of something sarcastic to say, but Jinora had the grace to look a little apologetic. Having finally regained his senses, Kai grinned and opened his mouth to say something. Jinora caught his intent and lightly jabbed an elbow into his ribs.

"Sorry," the young air bending master said with a shy smile. "Mako said that he hasn't seen either of you in a while and the crew has dinner ready."

Korra let go of Asami and shifted to get a better look at the two teenagers. "Thanks. We'll be there in a minute."

Jinora nodded, grabbed Kai's hand, and quickly disappeared into the trees. Their hushed voices drifted through the branches, barely audible.

"I _told_ you."

"Shh!"

"But seriously."

"_Kai!_"

Korra grinned and scratched the back of her head. "Sooo…"

Asami smiled and feigned seriousness. "We'll have to revisit this conversation some other time, Avatar Korra."

"Yes, Miss Sato," said Korra with a mock salute.

"Tonight."

Korra's cheeks burned with redness - even more of the old Korra showing through, Asami noted. Korra finally nodded. "Tonight," she agreed.

As the two of them walked back to the airship hand-in-hand, Asami realized she felt hopeful for the first time since they fled Republic City. And the more she looked at Korra and found things that had changed, the more she saw that what was most important - everything that made Korra _her_ Korra - remained the same. Instead of altering Korra completely, the changes brought out her defining qualities into sharper contrast. Like chiaroscuro in a painting. Asami smiled to herself, finding the comparison appropriate.

Korra hesitated when they finally reached the clearing where the airship was parked. Her earlier words returned to Asami and she realized that Korra hadn't been intentionally aloof. She was adjusting. Korra looked down at her feet and Asami squeezed her hand reassuringly. The engineer gave her a look of understanding and slowly, carefully led Korra into the crowded airship.

/

**A/N: Okie dokie. So, first of all, sorry for dropping off the face of the earth. I had planned on finishing Korrasami week, but school and work joined forces to level me with one helluva bitch slap. I'll probably get around to finishing it since I don't want to leave it dangling like that, but I can't make any promises. Also, I know the season premiers tomorrow and everything cannon will obliterate what I've just written. I don't care. I just wanted to write it because I find it really easy to imagine a hardened version of Korra that's spent most of the past three years on her own.**

**It's really easy to be lonely when you travel, even if you surround yourself with people when you stop somewhere. No matter how friendly people are, everyone knows you're just a visitor who's passing through. After everything that's happened to Korra, I imagine that her three years away from Republic City will be both a literal and a figurative journey. It's bound to have a massive effect on her and I imagine it would take some time for her to adjust to being surrounded by friends and family once more.**


End file.
